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Walsh: Sorting Out the MLS Offseason
It’s that time of the year. Once again MLS fans find themselves mired in the offseason, scouring blogs and message boards for even the faintest of rumors to provide talking points as the end of the year nears.
Of course, no one act this year can hold a candle to the explosion that was the Galaxy’s signing of David Beckham last January. But a multitude of lesser moves -- more expansion, new signings, coaching firings -- will keep fans interested during the short offseason.
What We Want To See
Andriy Shevchenko is the latest big-name player to say he wants to come to MLS -- sooner rather than later if things at Chelsea do not improve. Thierry Henry has also said he wants to finish his career in the States. Ronaldo is another rumored star who wants to let his hair grown long on this side of the Atlantic. Edgar Davids nearly wound up in Dallas last season, but instead the Hoops brilliantly spent Designated Player money on Denilson, who earned roughly $10,000 per step-over. Any of these players would draw interest to their respective teams, as well as giving ESPN another “cam” to go along with the Beckham-cam and Blanco-cam.
What We Will See
Shevchenko’s odds of signing with MLS are diminished due to what would be an enormous transfer fee; though the Red Bulls could be free-wheeling enough to fork out the eight-figure amount. As Goal.com reported last week, D.C. United closing in on signing Juan Sebastian Veron, which would wind up being the biggest signing of the offseason. That would likely mean the end of either Christian Gomez or Jaime Moreno, with the latter being more likely to leave. Veron would be the latest in the Argentine pipeline for the Black-and-Red, but easily the highest-profile signing of that group. At 32, the well-traveled midfielder is on the downside of his career, but would likely link well with Gomez, who would take over Moreno’s role, and striker Luciano Emilio.
What We Want To See
Expansion in MLS is moving quicker than Lionel Messi with the ball at his feet. Unfortunately, there’s no John Terry in sight to hack down Garber’s ideas for growth and slow things just a bit. San Jose joins the league in 2008, followed by Seattle in 2009. That makes five new teams in MLS in as many seasons. Add in either Philadelphia or St. Louis to likely accompany Seattle into the fold, so the league can maintain an even number of teams, and we’re up to a half-dozen. That will be too many teams in too short a space of time. Garber should learn something from the NHL, where expansion diluted the skill of the players and diminished the play of games. Instead, the Don is caving to the great amounts of money in expansion fees that will be ponied up as each new team joins MLS.
What We Will See
To offset the increased player pool due to expansion, as reported by the Washington Post’s Steve Goff, eight internationals can now be signed per team, regardless of age. Due to the salary cap, this will not result in more David Beckhams, Cuauhtémoc Blancos, or Juan Pablo Angels. However, more players like Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Pablo Ricchetti, or Fred can join the league. To stay under the salary cap, teams will still have to scout younger, cheaper options, but will now have more flexibility to sign mid-priced veteran players who can lead teams, as was seen in 2007 with Schelotto, Ricchetti, and Fred.
What We Want To See
New York needs a head coach. Jose Mourinho needs a job. A perfect match it probably is not. However, it is a perfect match for media members. With Bruce Arena no longer coaching the Red Bulls, the league lost its snarkiest coach. Mourinho fits that bill perfectly. Former MLS players have succeeded in transitioning from the field to the bench, but can you really expect Preki, one of the candidates to take over in the Big Apple, to succeed? Mourinho would be the true test for the Red Bulls and see if he can be king of the hill, top of the heaps, and give New York their first trophy. Plus, he’ll add some great quotes along the way.
What We Will See
Juan Carlos Osorio is the first choice for New York according to reports. Claudio Reyna knows him from his Manchester City days and is lobbying for the former MetroStars assistant. Of course, that may be due to Reyna’s Designated Player status and his unwillingness to take a buyout, which could allow him to join Tony Meola with the New Jersey Ironmen of the MISL. (Yikes!) Osorio would be a great pick for New York, especially to let him work on a daily basis with Jozy Altidore. If the Colombian coach was able to get through to Chad Barrett, just imagine what Osorio could do with the talent of Altidore.
What We Want To See
Altidore is the latest American to be linked to a large European club, thanks to rumors that Real Madrid are interested in the 18-year-old. It’s always a plus for U.S. fans to watch European leagues on the weekend and be able to root for a fellow American. While Altidore would give Ray Hudson a second U.S.-born striker to potentially fawn over (even if Americans don’t pull for Giuseppe Rossi) in La Liga, a big club is not always the best destination for Americans. Brad Guzan is another heavily rumored American to be on his way to Europe, as Arsenal are interested in the Chivas USA goalkeeper. El Guzano just has to hope he doesn’t suffer the same fate as Tim Howard, the last young, American keeper to go to a top English side, only to fall out of favor and eventually be transferred after losing confidence.
What We Will See
With San Jose in the league, teams now have 13 potential trade partners. If general manager John Doyle and head coach Frank Yallop are anything like Toronto’s Mo Johnston, that will result in even more movement. The Earthquakes have already made two trades after last month’s Expansion Draft and more are sure to come prior to January’s SuperDraft. The Quakes will look for young, cheap talent like Kei Kamara, who they received from Columbus for Brian Carroll. But the expansion side will also look abroad and could try to bring home Eddie Lewis from Derby County, Kamani Hill from Wolfsburg, or Danny Califf from Aalborg, where he captains the top team in Denmark heading into the winter break.
Source: www.goal.com
It’s that time of the year. Once again MLS fans find themselves mired in the offseason, scouring blogs and message boards for even the faintest of rumors to provide talking points as the end of the year nears.
Of course, no one act this year can hold a candle to the explosion that was the Galaxy’s signing of David Beckham last January. But a multitude of lesser moves -- more expansion, new signings, coaching firings -- will keep fans interested during the short offseason.
What We Want To See
Andriy Shevchenko is the latest big-name player to say he wants to come to MLS -- sooner rather than later if things at Chelsea do not improve. Thierry Henry has also said he wants to finish his career in the States. Ronaldo is another rumored star who wants to let his hair grown long on this side of the Atlantic. Edgar Davids nearly wound up in Dallas last season, but instead the Hoops brilliantly spent Designated Player money on Denilson, who earned roughly $10,000 per step-over. Any of these players would draw interest to their respective teams, as well as giving ESPN another “cam” to go along with the Beckham-cam and Blanco-cam.
What We Will See
Shevchenko’s odds of signing with MLS are diminished due to what would be an enormous transfer fee; though the Red Bulls could be free-wheeling enough to fork out the eight-figure amount. As Goal.com reported last week, D.C. United closing in on signing Juan Sebastian Veron, which would wind up being the biggest signing of the offseason. That would likely mean the end of either Christian Gomez or Jaime Moreno, with the latter being more likely to leave. Veron would be the latest in the Argentine pipeline for the Black-and-Red, but easily the highest-profile signing of that group. At 32, the well-traveled midfielder is on the downside of his career, but would likely link well with Gomez, who would take over Moreno’s role, and striker Luciano Emilio.
What We Want To See
Expansion in MLS is moving quicker than Lionel Messi with the ball at his feet. Unfortunately, there’s no John Terry in sight to hack down Garber’s ideas for growth and slow things just a bit. San Jose joins the league in 2008, followed by Seattle in 2009. That makes five new teams in MLS in as many seasons. Add in either Philadelphia or St. Louis to likely accompany Seattle into the fold, so the league can maintain an even number of teams, and we’re up to a half-dozen. That will be too many teams in too short a space of time. Garber should learn something from the NHL, where expansion diluted the skill of the players and diminished the play of games. Instead, the Don is caving to the great amounts of money in expansion fees that will be ponied up as each new team joins MLS.
What We Will See
To offset the increased player pool due to expansion, as reported by the Washington Post’s Steve Goff, eight internationals can now be signed per team, regardless of age. Due to the salary cap, this will not result in more David Beckhams, Cuauhtémoc Blancos, or Juan Pablo Angels. However, more players like Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Pablo Ricchetti, or Fred can join the league. To stay under the salary cap, teams will still have to scout younger, cheaper options, but will now have more flexibility to sign mid-priced veteran players who can lead teams, as was seen in 2007 with Schelotto, Ricchetti, and Fred.
What We Want To See
New York needs a head coach. Jose Mourinho needs a job. A perfect match it probably is not. However, it is a perfect match for media members. With Bruce Arena no longer coaching the Red Bulls, the league lost its snarkiest coach. Mourinho fits that bill perfectly. Former MLS players have succeeded in transitioning from the field to the bench, but can you really expect Preki, one of the candidates to take over in the Big Apple, to succeed? Mourinho would be the true test for the Red Bulls and see if he can be king of the hill, top of the heaps, and give New York their first trophy. Plus, he’ll add some great quotes along the way.
What We Will See
Juan Carlos Osorio is the first choice for New York according to reports. Claudio Reyna knows him from his Manchester City days and is lobbying for the former MetroStars assistant. Of course, that may be due to Reyna’s Designated Player status and his unwillingness to take a buyout, which could allow him to join Tony Meola with the New Jersey Ironmen of the MISL. (Yikes!) Osorio would be a great pick for New York, especially to let him work on a daily basis with Jozy Altidore. If the Colombian coach was able to get through to Chad Barrett, just imagine what Osorio could do with the talent of Altidore.
What We Want To See
Altidore is the latest American to be linked to a large European club, thanks to rumors that Real Madrid are interested in the 18-year-old. It’s always a plus for U.S. fans to watch European leagues on the weekend and be able to root for a fellow American. While Altidore would give Ray Hudson a second U.S.-born striker to potentially fawn over (even if Americans don’t pull for Giuseppe Rossi) in La Liga, a big club is not always the best destination for Americans. Brad Guzan is another heavily rumored American to be on his way to Europe, as Arsenal are interested in the Chivas USA goalkeeper. El Guzano just has to hope he doesn’t suffer the same fate as Tim Howard, the last young, American keeper to go to a top English side, only to fall out of favor and eventually be transferred after losing confidence.
What We Will See
With San Jose in the league, teams now have 13 potential trade partners. If general manager John Doyle and head coach Frank Yallop are anything like Toronto’s Mo Johnston, that will result in even more movement. The Earthquakes have already made two trades after last month’s Expansion Draft and more are sure to come prior to January’s SuperDraft. The Quakes will look for young, cheap talent like Kei Kamara, who they received from Columbus for Brian Carroll. But the expansion side will also look abroad and could try to bring home Eddie Lewis from Derby County, Kamani Hill from Wolfsburg, or Danny Califf from Aalborg, where he captains the top team in Denmark heading into the winter break.
Source: www.goal.com